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Wilmington manager proposes 3.9% budget increase

By Katie Lannan, klannan@lowellsun.com

Updated:
02/04/2013 06:33:39 AM EST

WILMINGTON -- Rising health-insurance and education costs are the biggest factors why Town Manager Jeff Hull's fiscal 2014 budget proposal, unveiled last week, is more than $3.3 million higher than the current budget.

Hull's recommendation of $89,849,578 for fiscal 2014 is up 3.9 percent from the $86,491,056 that was appropriated and transferred this year.

This includes more than $1 million each added to the Wilmington school budget and the combined cost for municipal and schools employee insurance.

The nearly 12 percent increase in insurance costs, from this year's $10,928,660 to $12,227,611, comes from medical inflation and an aging workforce, according to Hull.

This year, Hull plans to look for opportunities to promote preventative care and other healthy habits, potentially by establishing wellness programs within town offices.

"Though the benefits of these efforts will not be directly realized in the short term," Hull wrote in his budget proposal, "it is expected that this focus will reap savings for the town in the long term."

The bulk of the $1.1 million Hull seeks to add to the town's current $36.1 million education budget will go to the Wilmington School District, with $50,000 allocated for Shawsheen Valley Regional Technical High School.

Hull's recommended Wilmington schools budget is $33,628,350, nearly $444,000 less than was initially requested by Superintendent of Schools Joanne Benton.

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Under the public-buildings budget, the town plans to create a full-time position of building systems manager to oversee the heating, cooling, lighting and security system that will be installed at the new Wilmington High School. School construction has been delayed by a series of environmental appeals, but the town hopes to fill this position before the building is complete, "to maximize the effectiveness of the systems being developed for the school," said Hull.

The town will create the post of an information-technology administrator at the Police Department, where a sergeant currently handles any technology needs. Hull said this places a strain on police resources.

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